David Whitson-Black, Group Head of Talent Development at Azets

David Whitson-Black is Group Head of Talent Development at Azets, an international business and one of the UK's top 10 accountancy firms. Starting his career in people development 18 years ago, David now leads Azets Talent development team across the UK and Europe. David has strong experience in people development and has managed learning and development teams in the financial and professional service sectors. He is passionate about developing the best talent no matter where they are on their journey from early careers right through to senior management. His expertise ranges from leadership development to succession planning, talent strategy, coaching and mentoring, career pathing and performance management. Selected shownotes: What a Head of Talent Development in a large accounting firm actually does The symptoms of a professional firm that lacks a Learning and Development (LandD) function How career development for accountants happens beyond qualifications, CPD and mere technical competence How people learn and grow in different ways with different styles in professional firms The importance of being coachable and teachable yourself if you want to lead others How culture and values shape 6,500 people in a large professional firm Why being an authority figure as a leader is not necessarily engaging What selling and business development really means for fee earners and accountants Why the attraction of recruitment of talent is so critical for growth and succession in professional firms How people at every level of seniority in an accounting firm need support with their career and engagement Wise advice for new entrants and seasoned professionals who want to be successful with their accounting career A key driver of executive presence in accounting professionals When not working David likes spending time with his family, records music (singing) and has an interest in graphic design. Contact him here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidblack79/ (David on LinkedIn)

Om Podcasten

What's it like leading a large or progressive accounting firm? Whether you head up a specific function (like BD, marketing, IT, HR etc), a location (office, city, region), a department (team, project) or the whole organisation, you know what it's like to be in charge. The Accounting Leaders Podcast features Insightful interviews with leaders in large accountancy or CPA firms. Topics of discussion include vision, strategy, value, leadership, succession, growth, success, legacy, culture, positioning, branding, differentiation, mindset, technology, recruitment, trends, disrupters, opportunities. engagement, influence and reputation. Questions include ✓ What makes a top performer or promotable accountant in a large firm? ✓ How are the leading accounting firms winning work, doing BD and achieving growth? ✓ What are the trends, stats and critical issues shaping large accounting firms? Firm-wide leaders, managing partners, CEOs, heads of functions and similar don't always have a voice outside their firms. Very few people know or ask them about their journey, their philosophies, their influences and their goals. This is an opportunity for them to share their story, who has influenced them, what they've learned from both successes and failures, and what keeps them going. Show host Rob Brown is founder of the Business Development Academy, which trains accountants to be more confident, effective and strategic work winners. More at https://bdacademy.pro He is the creator the 90 Day Accounting BD Accelerator™ which transforms experienced, new & prospective partners in accounting firms to win more business using Choice Based Business Development™ - an unusual but extremely effective BD coaching method for accountants. He is the bestselling author of Build Your Reputation (Wiley) and his TED talk ‘The Personal Brand of You' has been viewed over 200K times on Youtube. Rob is also host of another accountancy show - the popular Accounting Influencers podcast. With over 100 episodes recorded, this show interviews top accounting global influencers about particular areas of expertise that are relevant to accountants in practice. Some guests are experts serving accounting firms (commentators, authors, coaches, trainers and consultants). Others are suppliers, vendors or strategic partners to accounting. To learn more about these podcasts, go to https://bdacademy.pro/podcasts/ Personally, Rob is based in Nottingham UK, home of Robin Hood. he lives with his wife Amanda and two daughters Georgia and Madison. He a committed Christian, a black belt in kickboxing, enjoys backgammon, loves chocolate orange and is allergic to grapefruit. To talk about being a guest on the Accounting Leaders podcast or explore how the BD Academy might help your firm, reach out to Rob Brown on LinkedIn or Twitter @therobbrown.